The 100 greatest Greeks of all time

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The 100 greatest Greeks of all time
First part of series jointly produced by BBC and Skai ends with list of winners from all fields of life, including arts, science, politics and sport


The results from the first round of voting for the “Great Greeks” series, co-organized by Skai and the BBC held quite a few surprises.

The 38,472 votes came from around the globe: Greeks living in Hong Kong and Dubai, but also Kuwait, Bratislava and Warsaw.

The list of the 100 greatest Greeks of all time came from all sorts of fields: the arts, science, politics, business, sport and more. The voting also reflected a variety in terms of historical eras.

Ancient and contemporary

Naturally ancient names (Alexander the Great, Socrates, Solon, Thucydides and Themistocles among others) and modern-day names (heroes of the Greek Revolution, Constantine Karamanlis and Maria Callas, for instance) topped the rankings.

The under-representation of the Byzantium period might be due to the fact that Byzantine history is not sufficiently taught in this country.

One of the paradoxes of the voting was the choice of the Unknown Soldier. This does not refer to the actual monument on Syntagma Square, but rather to the thousands of Greeks who sacrificed their lives for their country.

Somewhat surprisingly, two dictators, namely Ioannis Metaxas and Georgios Papadopoulos, were among the top 100 Greeks.

Perhaps it is strange, yet the list is a reflection of the beliefs that make up Greek society. The BBC’s policy worldwide and Skai’s policy on a local level did not stipulate any particular criteria.

Documentaries

The names listed below are in alphabetical order, not in order of voter preference. This marks the end of the first phase of the competition. A four-hour documentary, to be shown in a series of two-hour programs, will be shown in January, 2009.

The top 10 names will be announced at the end of the second part of the two-hour documentaries.

Subsequently, the first 10 personalities will be showcased individually in a 10-documentary series, with each documentary featuring a different presenter.

Most important

The third and final phase of the ambitious project will take the form of a live debate, with the participation of an audience of 250 spectators, to be presented by Alexis Papachelas. The narrators of the 10-documentary series will also be present to argue in favor of the personality they chose in the second phase.

Ultimately, it will be up to viewers to cast their vote for the greatest Greek of all time.
phantis.com